


Should have seen it coming

by iantosgal



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 22:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/854869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iantosgal/pseuds/iantosgal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel is the only one who knows how fast Castiel is falling. When he finally tells Dean, it could be too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Should have seen it coming

Gabriel has never been more glad that both he and Castiel have cell phones.

When he answers the call he can hear the pain in Castiel’s voice. It should scare him but this isn’t the first time he’s answered a call to his brother and heard that.

He was by his side in an instant. There was blood everywhere and Castiel staggered when he pulled him up. He took his brother away, somewhere quiet, and he helped him as usual.

Castiel wasn’t healing. Well, not as an angel should. Gabriel had already had to pull out three bullets, stitch up twelve knife wounds, relocate his shoulder twice and help him through a concussion.

All Gabriel really wanted, was for Castiel to come clean to Dean. Secrecy wasn’t good for a relationship and behind all the sarcastic wit and bickering that took place between Gabriel and Dean, Gabriel was kind of starting to have respect for the guy, maybe even starting to like him. And Gabriel felt Dean has a right to know just how quickly Castiel was falling, his strength and power draining more and more each day.

Dean would want to know.

But Castiel was adamant. He didn’t want Dean to worry. He had enough on his plate with the Apocalypse and after his trip to the future he had clung to Castiel even tighter, terrified he would become the broken, drug-addled man he had seen.

If Dean knew, he would freak out and they had more important things to worry about.

So, Gabriel kept his mouth shut and helped his brother onto the bed, tugging the trench coat and the suit jacket aside, eyeing up the blood still seeping into the crisp white shirt.

Gabriel was scared now. There was too much blood, Castiel was too pale.

Castiel coughed and his eyes screwed up in pain.

He wasn’t healing at all.

“Oh shit,” Gabriel breathed reaching for his phone.

“Gabriel…”

“Shut up.”

Gabriel dialled Dean’s number.

Dean answered with a grunt.

“Dean? Where are you?”

“Gabriel? What the hell do you want?”

“Tell me where you are, right now, Dean. It’s an emergency.”

“We’re at Bobby’s, it’s in…”

Gabriel hung up. He knew where Bobby’s was.

He grabbed Castiel’s arm and in the blink of an eye they were stood in what passed for Bobby’s living room.

“Shit!”

Dean was out of his chair in seconds.

“It’s ok, I got him,” Gabriel said, placing Castiel carefully down on the bed that Bobby had down here for convenience.

Castiel practically whimpered and Dean was by his side instantly.

“Cas?”

Gabriel opened his brother’s shirt as quickly as he could, revealing a long, deep gash on his left side. He placed his hands gently over the wound but Castiel still hissed in pain.

Gabriel watched out of the corner of his eye as Dean gently brushed the hair away from Castiel’s forehead, anger and confusion in his eyes.

*~*~*~*

Castiel was asleep, that in itself was a bad sign. Angel’s do not sleep.

Dean stood from where he was sat beside the bed and rubbed a hand over his face. He walked through to the kitchen where Gabriel was leaning against the counter, while Sam and Bobby sat at the table.

“What the hell is going on?” Dean asked, angrily.

Gabriel sighed.

“His power’s are failing, Dean. He’s practically fallen now.”

“What? I mean I knew he was weakened but are you telling us he’s human now?” Bobby asked, pushing his wheelchair back so he could turn it to face Gabriel head on.

Gabriel nodded.

“How long?” Dean asked, through gritted teeth.

“Sorry?”

“How long have you known?”

Gabriel looked down.

“He started coming to me about four months ago.”

Dean crossed the room so quickly Gabriel had no time to stop the fist connecting with his face.

Dean groaned and cradled his throbbing fist in his other hand. Gabriel turned his face back to look at the angry Winchester, an apology in his eyes.

“Four months? Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“Because he forbade me.”

Dean’s forehead creased.

“Why?”

“Why do you think?”

Dean simply shook his head.

*~*~*~*

Castiel woke up exactly three hours after he had fallen asleep. He felt fine, but his body ached in ways it hadn’t before and he was thirsty.

He pushed himself up and wandered into the kitchen. His feet were bare and so was his torso, and he shivered slightly in the cool air, another thing he had not done before.

Dean was sat at the table in the kitchen, a beer in his hand and his eyes downcast. He looked up at Castiel’s shuffling steps and stood quickly, striding round the table and taking Castiel’s arm.

“Hey, you ok?”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Cas, you should have told me, dammit.”

Castiel bowed his head.

“I know. I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Well, good job. I’m more worried now. You’ve gone from being an angel to being human in about two seconds.”

Castiel sighed deeply.

“Now I’m gonna be worried every time we go on a hunt. I gotta train you up.”

“Excuse me?”

“No offence man, but without your freaky angel strength, you’re going to find it rough going. You gotta get used to your body, learn it’s strengths, how to use them.”

Castiel placed a hand on Dean’s cheek and pulled him into a tender kiss.

*~*~*~*

Dean hardly ever let Castiel out of his sight, these days. They were joined at the hip at all times and on a hunt their movements flowed so in sync, sometimes Sam wondered whether they had some kind of telepathy thing going on he didn’t know about.

Gabriel hung about a fair bit. Castiel was his brother and one of the non-douche one’s at that, so Gabriel wanted to make sure he stayed alive.

He’d healed them all so many times, saving their lives over and over and any tension that may have existed fell away.

Sam found himself growing closer and closer to the angel and when he kissed him for the first time, it felt right. More right than it had ever felt before.

They won the apocalypse seemingly by default. Sam said no to Lucy, Dean said no Mikey, and the warring angels had to look for other means.

Michael took Adam and Lucifer dropped Nick, taking over some poor sap called Jerry. They ended up killing each other. It was tragic really. Heaven and Hell, defeated by humanity. Humans ruled.

But the Apocalypse kicked up a whole heap of crap and now Dean, Sam and Cas travelled round the country, trying to make the world a better place. Bobby and Gabriel often joined them and Gabriel would stay for weeks at a time.

They started getting separate hotel rooms.

It was a hard life that they led, but they were all together and that was all that mattered. It was fun. No more heavy ideas of destiny and duty hanging over their heads, just a group of friends, brothers, seeking out evil and taking it down, saving people along the way.

They should have known. They should have seen it coming.

They’re family was cursed. Nothing could stay that good for long.

Castiel died one year, two months and thirteen days after he became fully human, after Gabriel brought him to Bobby’s, laid him on that bed and finally told Dean the truth.

It was slow and Sam hated that. Gabriel wasn’t there and his phone was off and every time Sam rang it and got voicemail, his stomach sank a little lower until it was resting somewhere near his knees.

He couldn’t think.

Dean was crying, screaming Castiel’s name and Castiel was trying to wipe his tears away, smearing blood on Dean’s face.

His hand fell away.

His chest stuttered in it’s inconsistent rise and fall, the two bullet wounds slowly taking him away.

He whispered Dean’s name and Sam saw the exact second his brother’s heart broke, the exact second he realised Castiel was going to die in his arms.

Sam felt his own tears on his face.

Castiel gasped.

His chest stopped rising and falling.

His eyes went vacant, staring blankly up at the stars.

Dean howled, he sobbed. He buried his face into Castiel’s neck, pulling him close.

Sam’s phone rang.

It was Gabriel.

It was too late.

Too late.

*~*~*~*

The funeral was small but it was more than their dad ever got. Dean placed the body of his lover on the pyre and pressed one last gentle kiss to his forehead before covering his face.

He didn’t want to see Cas’ beautiful face burn.

He stepped back and Sam passed him the burning torch.

He lit the pyre and felt Bobby’s hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Gabriel and saw the sadness in his eyes. There was a large, empty space between Gabriel and Sam. Things were strained but Dean hoped his brother would see sense.

If he didn’t blame Gabriel, neither should Sam.

When the other’s went inside, Dean stayed. He had been surprised by how hard Cas’ death had hit him. It was then he realised how it felt to lose a soul mate and didn’t that sound sappy as hell.

When Sam had died, Dean had done everything to get him back, sold his soul, just to get his brother back.

And all that brought them was more pain, the freaking Apocalypse.

But it also brought Dean Cas and for that he was thankful.

He wouldn’t sell his soul for Cas. Cas would never forgive him.

He’d asked Gabriel if Cas was in heaven.

Gabriel didn’t know but expected he probably was.

He asked if he would go there himself and Gabriel assured him he would.

That was good enough for Dean.

He was tired. He wanted out. Sam would have Gabriel. He would have Bobby.

He lifted the gun and pressed it against his temple. He looked up at the stars.

“I’m coming,” he whispered.

The gunshot rang out and brought the other’s running. But it was too late, Dean was gone.

Gone to where he prayed Cas would be.


End file.
